4 things that changed since Snowden leaks

One year ago, former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden turned the world on its head after classified documents he provided to media organizations revealed a widespread surveillance program.

USA TODAY Network looks at four notable changes that have come about in the year since Snowden's bombshells.

An encrypted future

Google released code Tuesday for a new "end-to-end" encryption tool for its users. Demand has been high for e-mail that's coded to allow only authorized parties to read it from popular providers like Google and Microsoft, and increased after Snowden spoke at SXSW in March.

End-to-end encryption means that each e-mail is encrypted from the time it leaves the owner's Web browser until the receiver gets the e-mail and decodes it. An e-mail sent with this technology cannot be intercepted in transit or gathered from an Internet provider with a court order. A third party would have to hack into the individual's computer to access the communication.

End-to-end encrypted e-mail has existed for some time, but only from lesser-known companies. At SXSW, Snowden said end-to-end encryption should be available to every user and considered a "basic protection," not something that's just understood and used by the tech-savvy.

It's not only software that's being developed. Silent Circle, a company that specializes in encrypted communications, received a $30 million investment in May to develop an encrypted smartphone called "Blackphone."

Changing the debate

Love him or hate him, there is no doubt that Snowden's leaks changed the public debate. The ongoing discussion over privacy, how far the government should be able to go in the name of security and how changing technology factors into all this is, in large part, a direct result of the firestorm set off by Snowden.

And it's a debate that's likely not going away anytime soon, as the 2014 midterm elections heat up and, soon after, the 2016 presidential campaign begins to take shape.

What's more, this issue does not always fall along clear partisan lines. For example, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, an independent and self-described Democratic Socialist, and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul, a Tea Party-aligned Republican, have both argued for some form of leniency in sentencing for Snowden.

Strained relations

One of the most damaging revelations to the Obama administration that emerged from the Snowden leaks was news that the NSA had spied on world leaders, including many close American allies, such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Reports surfaced that the United States had sought to monitor Merkel's phone calls as far back as 2002. It was reported that President Obama had been unaware that the program of surveillance against world leaders included allies.

The disclosure by Snowden caused an uproar in many allied nations and prompted the White House to take steps to limit eavesdropping on allied leaders.

Renewed focus on NSA's internal security

The NSA increased its own internal security to prevent future leaks. The organization has implemented a new system of "tagging" data to ensure only authorized personnel are able to access it, NPR reported in an interview with Lonny Anderson, the NSA's chief information officer, in September 2013.

The changes had been in the works for a long time, according to Anderson, but were put into action quickly following the leaks.